The use of winches for pulling, towing, and lifting is well known in the prior art. Portable winches have advantages over fixed winches because they can be transported to an array of different job sites, both indoors and outdoors, and because they can be configured ad hoc in alternate ways, such as suspended from a ceiling anchor in order to lift an object, or attached to a vehicle in order to tow an object. Winches achieve portability by being light enough to carry by hand or by being designed for mounting on a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,929 and No. 6,386,514 are compact winches intended to be mounted on automobiles. Vehicle-mounted winches are easily transported to disparate locations, but are nevertheless limited in the range of sites at which they can be utilized, due to the accessibility requirements of the vehicle. Essentially, the winch can only be utilized where the vehicle can be driven, preventing use of the portable winch at many off-road locations, confined spaces, or hazardous positions where a vehicle would be at risk for damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,582 is a vehicle mounted winch that incorporates a remote control unit, allowing a person to stand clear of the winch during operation, but the access limitations of the vehicle remain.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,215 is a portable, battery powered winch having the dimensions of a large suitcase that does not require mounting on a vehicle. A hook protruding from the top surface serves to attach the device to a fixed object in the environment, while the traction member extends from the opposite, lower surface for pulling a load. The invention is light enough to be carried by a single person and it has a self-contained design that makes it suitable for a wide range of applications in the domestic sector. It may also be powered by remote control, allowing the user to stand clear of the device during operation.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,278 covers a winch apparatus mounted to a backpack frame, powered by a gasoline engine and a hydraulic pump, thus having a greater range of portability than any vehicle-mounted winch. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,784 is directed to a compact hand-held battery-operated winch that is powered by a series of six small batteries. In both inventions, the user may carry the winch to any desired location, where it is anchored to a fixed object in the environment such as a tree or post. The traction member is then attached to a load which is pulled towards the apparatus as the winch motor turns the winch drum to spool the cable.
Although freely portable winches, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,241,215 and 5,474,278 above, gain range by virtue of the fact that they are not attached to a vehicle, they lose the benefit of the vehicle's other commonly included tools such as headlights, radio, GPS positioning system, and vehicle accessory outlet (i.e., cigarette lighter adapter). These ancillary tools enhance the utility of portable vehicle-mounted winches by providing, for example, illumination at night, communication with rescue services, and mapping functions to facilitate access to remote locations.
Currently, there are no portable winches that can take advantage of the plurality of accessories commonly provided with a vehicle or carried by a user. Therefore, a user operating a portable winch and desiring to operate an accessory device in conjunction therewith must carry at least one additional power source to either operate or charge the accessory device, causing considerable inconvenience, especially at remote locations.